With back-to-school season in full swing, Taster's Choice is looking at kid-friendly foods. This week, we're tackling steel-cut oatmeal, a hearty breakfast option for parents and children alike. Over the next few weeks, we'll dive into deli meats and cheeses.

But first, breakfast. Steel-cut oats, also called Irish oats, are raw oat groats that have been cut by steel into smaller pieces. The oats look like broken rice and cook into a much chewier and nuttier oatmeal than old-fashioned rolled oats, which are first steamed and flattened.

They take a bit longer to cook than regular oats, but it's easy to make a big batch and reheat leftovers. For the tasting, we cooked them on the stove according to package directions, adding just a pinch of salt.

The time was worth it - Taster's Choice has a newcomer to our Hall of Fame, reserved for products that score 80 or more points.

Our winning brand was 365, the house brand from Whole Foods Market ($3.39 for 24 ounces at Whole Foods Market). These "wholesome" oats were "especially chewy, with a good toasty oat flavor." "Creamy and smooth," four tasters would buy this brand, and the fifth might.

Second went to Country Choice ($2.99 for 30 ounces at Trader Joe's). These had a "finer" grain than the other oats, but had a "good" "nutty" flavor. "Love the texture - very chewy, sort of pops in your mouth." Again, four would buy and the fifth might.

Also scoring well was third-place Bob's Red Mill ($5.49 for 24 ounces at Safeway). While all agreed on the "very nice creamy texture," some panelists found the "oat flavor quite mild," while others described it as "clean." Two would buy and three might.

Quaker ($7.59 for 24 ounces at Draeger's), well known for its rolled oats, finished fourth with its steel-cut version. Panelists thought these oats were "pasty" and "gummy." "The flavor is blah," said one taster, while others detected sour notes. While three might buy, two would not.

Finally, McCann's, a popular, widely available brand ($4.99 for 28 ounces at Trader Joe's), finished a surprising fifth. These oats, which often come in a tin can, had a "great bite," but some panelists were put off by the taste. "Slightly stale," these "al dente oats" had "earthy notes mixed with cardboard." One would buy, one might, and three would not.

Steel-cut oatmeal

365 80

Country Choice 75

Bob's Red Mill 73

Quaker 52

McCann's 50

Panelists were Linda Anusasananan, food writer/consultant, San Mateo; John Carroll, cookbook author, San Francisco; Marc Halperin, culinary director, Center for Culinary Studies, San Francisco, Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef, Farallon and Waterbar in San Francisco; Rosemary Mark, recipe developer, Walnut Creek. All products are tasted blind; a perfect score would be 100. Prices listed are the lowest found, but products may be available at other stores.

Janny Hu is a Chronicle staff writer. E-mail her at jhu@sfchronicle.com. To look up past columns, search online at sfgate.com/food/tasters/archive.